The Police News
Former North Texas Mayor and Land Developer Convicted in Public Corruption Trial

Sherman, TX

SHERMAN, Texas –The former mayor of Richardson, Texas and a land developer who
she eventually married, have been convicted of federal conspiracy violations in
theEasternDistrictofTexas,announcedU.S.AttorneyJoseph D. Brown today.

Laura Jordan, also known as Laura Maczka, 54, and Mark
Jordan, 52, both of Plano, Texas were found guilty by a jury of following a
trial before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant that lasted over three
weeks. Maczka was found guilty of conspiracy to commit honest services
wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery concerning
a program receiving federal funds and bribery concerning program receiving
federal funds. Jordan was found guilty of conspiracy to commit honest
services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery
concerning a program receiving federal funds and bribery concerning program
receiving federal funds.

Accordingto
information presented in court, from May 2013 through April 2015, Maczka was
the mayor of Richardson, Texas, and Jordan was a land developer.
Maczka and Jordan conspired to devise and execute a scheme to defraud and
deprive City of Richardson residents of the honest services of the Mayor
through bribery. Maczka, contrary to her campaign promises, supported and
repeatedly voted for controversial zoning changes sought by Jordan ultimately
allowing for the construction of over 1,000 new apartments in Richardson near
Richardson neighborhoods. The indictment alleges that, in exchange, Jordan paid
Maczka over $18,000 in cash and $40,000 by check, paid for over $24,000 in
renovations to Maczka’s home, paid for Maczka’s luxury hotel stays and airfare
upgrades, and provided Maczka lucrative employment at one of Jordan’s
companies. According to court testimony, Maczka and Jordan failed to disclose
to the public that they had coordinated to effect the zoning changes Jordan
wanted and that Jordan had provided a stream of benefits to Maczka.

“This kind of corrupt relationship
undermines the public’s confidence in government,” said Eastern
District of Texas U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown. “This was more than
an ethical violation, this was absolutely criminal. We need juries
that recognize public corruption for what it is, and support prosecutions that
attempt to hold accountable those that cheat. This jury certainly
did that.”

Mark Jordan was taken into custody
following the verdict and will appear for a detention hearing on Mar. 8, 2019.

Under federal statutes, Maczka and Jordan each face up to 20 years in federal
prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by
Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be
determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other
statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the
completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.